1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of confirming an image based on image data prior to transfer of the image data to a predetermined destination.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of medicine, various kinds of diagnostic image generating apparatuses (modalities) using X rays or the like have been in use, and CR (Computed Radiography) apparatuses, CT (Computed Tomography) apparatuses, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) apparatuses and the like have been put into practice. An image (image data) generated by a modality of such a kind is used in a medical facility for diagnosis of a lesion or injury, or the degree thereof, by being displayed on a CRT display (hereinafter simply called “CRT”) or output on a film by an LP (Laser Printer).
A CR apparatus herein referred to means a radiation image reading recording apparatus. A CR apparatus uses a stimulable phosphor which emits light upon exposure to a stimulating ray such as visible light or an infrared ray in accordance with radiation energy stored in a stimulable phosphor sheet. Radiation image information recorded in the stimulable phosphor sheet is obtained by scanning the sheet with a stimulating ray to cause the sheet to emit light, and the emitted light is read photoelectrically as an image signal by the CR apparatus. Recently CR apparatuses have become widely used and put into practice.
Following the recent advancement in technologies in the field of communications and computers, medical network systems using computers have been installed in hospitals. Each apparatus described in the above, which used to be used only in a stand alone mode, can now be used on a network. A modality is set as an image data acquiring apparatus, and an LP is connected to the image data acquiring apparatus as an output apparatus. A diagnostic image reading terminal for displaying an image for diagnostic purposes is placed as an apparatus to receive the image in a room remote from the location of the image data acquiring apparatus. The image data acquiring apparatus and the image reading terminal are connected via a network so that medical doctors can carry out diagnosis at a location remote from the image data acquiring apparatus.
However, in a conventional medical network system such as the one described above, image data obtained by the image data acquiring apparatus are transferred automatically to the image reading terminal connected to the network, and image confirmation based on the obtained image data prior to the transfer has rarely been carried out. Therefore, even when there is a mistake in photographing, or photographing has not been carried out at an appropriate density, for example, image data having such a problem are all transferred to the image reading terminal, and the problem is found only at the time of diagnosis, which causes a problem with the diagnosis.
It is possible to display images based on obtained image data one by one on a image inspecting workstation or the like to confirm the quality of an image before the transfer of the image data to the image reading terminal and to transfer only the image data having been judged to be appropriate. In this method, even if a plurality of images for one patient (for example, images photographed at slightly different angles) are photographed by using one or a plurality of apparatuses, quality of each image is confirmed and the image is transferred one by one. Therefore, it is necessary for the image reading terminal to acquire necessary image data (in the above example, data of images photographed at different angles) through a search of separately transferred image data and to display the images based on the obtained image data, which is not convenient for diagnostic purposes. Furthermore, since collective management or confirmation of images obtained by a medical examination of one patient is not carried out, it is insufficient to confirm image quality one by one and to transfer thereafter, in the case where image quality judgment obtained only through comparison between a plurality of images is necessary (for example, in the case where one image needs sharper contrast or darker density overall) or in the case where more images are necessary for more precise diagnosis (for example, in the case where an image of a different portion is necessary or an image at a different angle is necessary).